1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a moist heat therapy. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved moist heat pack and method of using the same.
2. Background Art
The effective treatment of injuries holds paramount importance in the health-care field. Moist heat therapy is a recommended treatment for many injuries, and utilizes a moist heat pack. To be most effective, such therapy requires both temperature control and moisture retention at the injury site. Maintaining an optimum range of temperature of the heat pack is necessary to both to avoid additional damage at the injury site and to ensure actual therapeutic treatment. Skin temperatures should remain in the 40.degree. C. to 45.degree. C. range for optimum results. If the temperature falls below the optimum range, then the patient receives reduced benefit from the therapy. Conversely, if the temperature rises above the optimum range, then tissue damage (i.e., burns, redness, etc.) may occur if the pack is not removed quickly enough from the skin.
In the past, an easy and effective means for constantly monitoring the surface skin temperature during moist heat therapy has not been available to average consumer or to the professional therapist. Methods now in use for delivering moist heat lack a built-in means to determine whether the skin temperature is within the optimum therapeutic range. Therefore, the user, whether consumer or therapist, must continually remove the heat pack from the therapy site to accurately measure the skin temperature, thereby interrupting therapy. This approach is time-consuming and labor intensive, particularly when the patient is, for whatever reason (i.e., age, infirmity, etc.), not capable of utilizing the heat pack himself or herself. Alternatively, the user can depend upon past experience or rely upon the patient's comments about comfort levels. This method of gauging the skin temperature of another, however, is uncertain at best.
Surface skin temperature, however, may presently be monitored by thermocouples and monitoring equipment, but this method has significant drawbacks. First, the equipment is expensive. Second, such equipment is unavailable at the consumer level. Third, it is difficult to use, e.g., such equipment requires advanced skills to properly connect and is time consuming to apply. Further, the thermocouples create an intrusive effect on the therapy as well as act as a significant source of moisture and heat loss.
Therefore, there still exists a need in the art to provide a moist heat pack that provides a convenient, reliable means for continuously monitoring skin temperature at the therapy site without interrupting therapy. There also exists a need for a moist heat pack providing a barrier that prevents escape of moisture from the exposed surface thereby increasing the effectiveness of therapy.
Once an energized therapy pack (either hot or cold) is applied to the subject's injury, the surface skin temperature must be monitored. Maintaining an optimum range of temperature during therapy serves both to avoid additional damage at the injury site and to ensure actual therapeutic treatment. Devices currently in use for delivering temperature dependent therapy, whether hot or cold, lack a built-in means to continuously and conveniently determine whether the skin temperature is within the optimum therapeutic range during therapy.
Equally important, therefore, is the need in the art for a convenient and reliable temperature monitoring device for other temperature dependent therapeutic devices. Examples of such devices include cold therapy packs, electric heating pads, and the like.